$1M Bond For Michigan Trooper Charged In Death Of Detroit Boy

DETROIT, MI – An ex-Michigan State Police trooper was jailed and charged with murder in the death of a 15-year-old Detroit boy he Tasered while trying to stop last August. At an arraignment hearing on Thursday, Mark Bessner, 43, pleaded not guilty to second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter.

Judge William C. McConico set Bessner's bond at $1 million before he was remanded to custody. His lawyer, Richard Converntino told the judge it was unlikely that he'd be able to raise that bond, according to a report in the Detroit Free Press.

"He's been in the community for almost 20 years, he's been in law enforcement for almost a decade, prior to that he was a practicing attorney, he has a home in Wayne County, his wife is fully employed as a special agent in the government, he has a child, he's not going anywhere, judge," Converntino stated as he tried to argue for a no-cost bond.

If convicted of the charges, he faces a sentence of up to life in prison.

Bessner was the passenger in the Michigan State Police cruiser on Aug. 26 when he and his partner noticed Damon Grimes, 15, of Detroit, driving an ATV along Reno and Fairmont streets in Detroit. They ordered the boy to pull over, but the boy continued to drive, according to reports.

When the boy would not pull over, Bessner Tasered him from the moving cruiser, authorities said. The boy crashed the ATV into a truck parked along the street. He was taken to a nearby hospital and was pronounced dead a short time later.

"Most police officers are good, hard working, and honest people," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in a statement. "This behavior cannot be tolerated and seriously undermines the good work that most police officers do on a daily basis."

At the same press conference, Worthy announced charges against three other officers.

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